top

Washington Co.

Virginia, USA

 

Introduction

Gen Tool-Kit

Researching by Surname

Ancestral Gen-Sites

Researching by Location

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Contact Information

 

 

Introduction

     Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Abingdon.

The county was formed by European Americans in 1776 from Fincastle County. It was named for George Washington, who was then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Washington County is among the first geographical regions to be named after the president of the United States.

     As with many other frontier counties, the boundaries and territory changed over the years.  In 1786 the northwestern part of Washington County became Russell County.  In 1814 the western part of what remained of Washington County was combined with parts of Lee and Russell counties to form Scott County.  In 1832 the northeastern part of Washington was combined with part of Wythe County to form Smyth County. Finally, with the incorporation of the town of Goodson as the independent city of Bristol in 1890, Washington County assumed its present size.

     Counties that lie adjacent to Washington are: Smyth County, Virginia – northeast; Grayson County, Virginia - east-southeast; Johnson County, Tennessee - south-southeast; Sullivan County, Tennessee – southwest; Bristol(City), Virginia – southwest; Scott County, Virginia – west; and Russell County, Virginia – northwest.

 

Gen Tool-Kit

gen tool-kit

     Our “Gen-Tool Kit” has been primarily designed for those researchers who may be traveling to this location to perform on-site studies of their family history, or to just visit some of the interesting historical sites located in the area.  It can be very satisfying to mix research with sightseeing at historical and scenic spots.  Such activity not only gives you an understanding of the land but a needed break from intense research sessions.  When visiting an ancestral county for genealogical research we’ve found that the three most important places to visit are the county courthouse; the county library; and the county historical and/or genealogical societies.  It is also good to plan ahead by contacting any site you intend visiting in order to ascertain where it is and when it will be open.  This is especially true with regard to historical and genealogical societies.  We hope that the following information will provide you with a better idea of what resources are available, within this county, to the family historian.

 

Cemeteries

Maps and Gazetteers

County History

Libraries, Museums

& Archives

 County Records

Societies

 (History & Genealogical)

 

Cemeteries

Cemeteries

Bristol Cemeteries     

Bristol City Cemeteries      
Bristol City Cemetery List      
City of Bristol Cemetery Registration     

Crabtree Cemetery  (aka. White Cemetery)
Fickle Cemetery 
Fleenor Cemetery #23 
Fleenor Cemetery #8 
Gasper Fleenor Cemetery 
Green Spring Church Cemetery     

Ingle Cemetery 
Larmer Cemetery 

Larmer Cemetery, Washington County, Virginia     

Misc. Washington County Cemeteries 
Odum Cemetery     
Old Baptist Cemetery 
Old Glade Spring Cemetery 
The Political Graveyard  Bristol    
The Political Graveyard  Washington County    
Rock Spring Cemetery 
Walnut Grove Cemetery 
Walnut Springs Cemetery 
Washington County 

Washington County Cemeteries     

Washington County Cemetery List     

Washington County Cemetery Registration     

Maps and Gazetteers

History

Your LINK to the Historical Places and Districts in Washington County

Bristol (Independent City)     
Bristol City     
Bristol City Historical Markers     
Fincastle County, Virginia, USGENWEB   

History of Southwest VA, 1746-86

National Register of Historic Places 

National Register of Historic Places in Bristol 
Washington County     
Washington County     
Washington County Bibliography     
Washington County Historical Markers     

Washington County Historical Markers     

County History

Libraries, Museums & Archives

Archives and Special Collections  Emory & Henry College
Bristol City County Libraries     
Bristol County Libraries     
Family History Library Holdings  City of Bristol     Family History Library Holdings     

Guide to Virginia Co. & City Records  Fincastle Co.    

Guide to Virginia Co. & City Records Washington Co.   

PERiodical Source Index Search  Washington Co.
USGenWeb Archives      
USGenWeb City of Bristol Archives     

Washington County Libraries     

Libraries, Museums & Archives

 

Maps and Gazetteers

Aero view of Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 1912     
Bristol City Gazetteer     
Bristol City Topo Maps and Aerial Photos     

Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee 1919     

Quad List of Butts, Virginia     

TEA DOQ MAP for the Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area 

Tiger Map Server Browser 
Washington County      (1895 U.S. Atlas)
Washington County Gazetteer     
Washington County Post Offices 
Washington County Post Offices  1846    

Washington County Topo Maps and Aerial Photos     

County Records

Records

Washington County Clerk of the Circuit Court has Marriage Records from 1782, Land Records from 1778, Probate Records from 1777 and Court Records from 1777 and is located at the County Courthouse on 189 East Main Street, P.O. Box 289, Abingdon, VA 24212-0289; 276/676-6224, 276/676-6226, Fax: 276/676-6218.

Bristol City Federal Census Index     
Washington Co. Census Records     

Washington County Federal Census Index     

Census Search  Washington County    

Bristol City on Reel 2466 1930 United States Census Washington County on Reel 2463   1930 U. S. Census

List of Pensioners on the Roll January 1, 1883 

Washington County Military Index

Washington County, Virginia  WW II  Army Casualties

   

Bristol City  Newspaper Abstracts

Chronicling America  Washington County    

Washington County      Newspaper Abstracts

Washington County Marriages     
Washington County Vital Records     

Accessions to the Presbytery of Abingdon  1760-1788

Death Records Indexing Project  Bristol, 1889-96

Death Records Indexing Project Washington Co., 1853-97

Societies

Societies (Historical & Genealogical)

Bristol Historical Association 

Fort Chiswell Chapter  Bristol   D.A.R. 

Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia 

Virginia Historical Society

Holston Territory Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 433, Bristol, VA 24203-0433

The Library of Virginia

Virginia Genealogical Society

surnames

Researching
by Surname

The following are names of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding Link.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

Brown;   Carlock

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

Additional information regarding these and other surnames may also be found at:

Surname Locator Resources

Free Genealogy Surname
 Search From Google

Use this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series of different searches  using tips or "tricks"

that will likely improve your results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about  this  or  any  other  Surname. 

Where in the World do These
 Surnames Come From?

Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of any surname.  You can get greater

detail for any of the maps by clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in.

Ancestral 
Gen-Sites

ancestral gen-sites

Map of the County

Family History Notes

Gen-Site Profiles

Map of the county

Map of the County

The Red Starin the map designates the location of the seat of government for this county.  Yellow Stars designate seats of government in adjacent counties.   A Purple Dotshows the location of identified ancestral Gen-Site(s). 

NOTE: for a better view of this map use the following ZOOM feature -

from the keyboard you can increase or decrease the zoom value in 10% increments.

To zoom IN, press Ctrl and the  + (plus) button. To zoom OUT, press Ctrl and the - (minus)  button.  To restore the zoom to 100%, press Ctrl and the 0 (zero) button.

Family history notes

Family History Notes

     Our 3rd great-grandfather Robert Brown is said to have been born in Washington County on 30 December 1772.  If this is true he was actually born in Fincastle County which at that time encompassed most of present day eastern Kentucky, southern West Virginia, as well as the current southwestern counties of Virginia.  On 31 December 1776 Fincastle became extinct with the creation of Washington County, Virginia and the new state of Kentucky.  In 1786 Russell County was created out of a part of Washington County.  As Robert Brown appears on the Russell county Tax lists between 1790 and 1796 it is most likely that he lived in that area of Washington County that became Russell County, Virginia.   Robert probably married his first wife around 1793.  To this union at least 5 children were born.  A son born c. 1794, a daughter born around 1797 followed by two more sons between 1801-10, and another daughter during the same time frame. (1a)  Robert Brown appears on the Russell county Tax lists between 1790 and 1796.  As such it is probable that he migrated to Kentucky around 1797. 

Gen-site profiles

Gen-Site Profiles

Abingdon

Abingdon

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Virginia;   County: Washington;  Place: Abingdon;

Coordinates/Map: 36° 42′ 35″ N, 81° 58′ 32″ W

Washington County

Court House at

Abingdon, Virginia

 

Click on thumbnail

 for larger image

DESCRIPTION:  Abingdon is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark.  The land on which the town of Abingdon is situated was originally surveyed between the years 1748 and 1750 by Dr. Thomas Walker and was part of the Great Road that Colonel William Byrd III ordered cut through the wilderness on to Kingsport, Tennessee.  During Lord Dunmore's War, Black's Fort was established in 1774 by Joseph Black to protect local settlers in the region from Indian attacks.  In 1776 the community of Black's Fort was made the county seat of the newly formed Washington county. In 1778, Black's Fort was incorporated as the town of Abingdon

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:  see history notes above

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):  Official website;   William King Museum;   Profile for Abingdon, Virginia, VA

 

LOCATION:  Country: United States;   State: Virginia;   County:;   Place:; Coordinates/Map:

 

 

Click on thumbnail

 for larger image

DESCRIPTION: 

ANCESTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GEN-SITE:  

INTERNET WEB LINK(s):

populated places

Researching
by Location

Gazetteer of Places

 in This County

Changes of County Boundaries

Link to State-Wide Resources

Where in the World

are My Ancestors?

gazetteer

Gazetteer of Places

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestor’s birth, marriage, death dates and the place(s) within this locality at which these events may have occurred.

Profiles for 117 cities, towns and other populated places in Washington County Virginia

Map of Washington County Virginia

Washington County Physical, Cultural & Historic Features

 

Washington County ZIP Codes | Area Codes

Washington County Land - Property, Farms & Ranches

 

Montgomery County, Virginia, United States

Details | Resources | Cities | Cemeteries |

Links To Populated Places Within This County

 

Abingdon;   Damascus;   Glade Spring;   Saltville;   Emory-Meadowview;    Mendota;

 

Find Physical Features* Within This County

* includes but not limited to Cemeteries, Churches, Locales, Schools,

Military Installations;  Populated Places, Post Offices, Streams, and Trails

County boundary changes

Historical Changes in the Boundaries of this County

     Conducting genealogical research in the United States requires an understanding of county boundaries.  As the population grew more counties were created to meet the public’s need for localized governments.  This phenomena was common in all states during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  As such you must be sure that you are not looking for records in the wrong county or state. 

     The web site for the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project provides interactive maps for all states. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like Land Records, Probate Records, Court Records, Tax Records, and Vital Records that document birth, death, and marriage.   Listed below are the boundary changes for this county, the dates they occurred, as well as the government statute that decreed the change.  To see actual changes in a mapping format follow this link to the Atlas of Historical County Boundary Project .

Map of Early County Boundaries

The Red Line depicts Washington County boundaries from 1777 to 1786. 

The  Blue Line depicts county boundaries from 1786 to 1814.  

31 Dec 1776 - WASHINGTON created from FINCASTLE (extinct). Settlers in Carters Valley and the North Holston area of present Tennessee believed they were located in Virginia and put themselves under the authority of WASHINGTON when FINCASTLE was eliminated on this date. (Hening, 9:257-261)

01 Sep 1777 - WASHINGTON exchanged with MONTGOMERY. (Hening, 9:330-331)

10 Nov 1779 - North Carolina took control of the Carters Valley and North Holston settlements in Tennessee, ending efforts by settlers to place themselves under WASHINGTON. Precise location of the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina remained in dispute. (N.C. State Recs., 24:ch. 29/pp. 300-301)

01 May 1786 - WASHINGTON lost to creation of RUSSELL. (Hening, 12:110-111)

24 Nov 1814 - WASHINGTON lost to creation of SCOTT. (Va. Acts 1814-1815, ch. 38, sec. 1/pp. 85-87)

04 Jan 1826 - WASHINGTON lost to TAZEWELL. (Va. Acts 1825-1826, ch. 41, sec. 1/p. 40)

23 Feb 1832 - WASHINGTON lost to creation of SMYTH. (Va. Acts 1831-1832, ch. 67, sec. 1/pp. 47-49)

03 Mar 1901 - WASHINGTON gained from SULLIVAN (Tenn.) when the Tennessee-Virginia line through the town of Bristol was adjusted [not mapped]. (Van Zandt, 110)

10 Jul 1902 - WASHINGTON lost to creation of Bristol as an independent city, 2d class. (Bain, "Body Incorporate," 18-21; Swindler, 10:166, 169)

15 Oct 1942 - WASHINGTON lost to the independent city of Bristol. (Bristol Community Development and Planning Dept., correspondence, December 1989; Dodson, Cities, "Bristol")

31 Dec 1973 – WASHINGTON lost to the independent city of Bristol. (Bristol Community Development and Planning Dept., email, February 2003)

Links to More About This U.S. State

State-Wide Resources

For more information about the U.S. State in which this county is located  click  on  these  LINKS:

 

Where in the world

Where in the World
are My Ancestors?

Resources which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are almost as important as their names. The LINK

MAPS

GAZETTEERS

to the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers,   and other helpful  resources  that will assist you in discovering Ancestral Locations. 

resources Website
Resources

 

This search engine may

provide you with additional

information to assist with

your research about this topic.

General Resources

Locality Specific Resources

Digital Record Collections

Our Genealogy Reference Library

General Resources

General Resources

·         Website & Webpages We Like

·         Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

·         Free Genealogy Search Help For Google

·         Linkpendium > Genealogy > USA

·         The USGenWeb Project

·         GenealogyLinks.net

·         United States Research Wiki – Family Search

·         Histopolis.com – Collaborative Genealogy and History

·         USGenWeb Archives

·         Birth & Marriage Records Indexes for USA

·         Record Search - Family Search.org

·     Our Genealogy Reference Library (USA Locations)

·     Genealogy Forum: U.S. States

·     Family Search, IGI Batches, Localities

·     Genealogy.com: Resources by county

·     Rootsweb.com – U.S. Message Boards

·     Cyndi's List – Main Category Index

·     Access Genealogy

·     DistantCousin.com - archive of genealogy records

·     Searchable Death Indexes & Records

·     Census Finder –Free Census and other Records

·     Data Base Collections at Ancestry.com$

 

Locality Specific Resources

Locality Specific Resources

·         Washington County Genealogy Links

·         Washington County (Family History 101.com)

·         Washington County USGenWeb

·         Washington County, at Family Search

·     Washington County, Genealogy Forum

·     Washington County, at Rootsweb

·     Cyndi's List - U.S. – Virginia - Localities

·     Linkpendium > Genealogy> Washington County

Digital Record Collections

Digital Record Collections

·Washington County Collections - Ancestry.com$

·Washington County Census & Other Records

·USGenWeb Archives – Washington County

·Birth & Marriage Records Indexes - Virginia

·Death Indexes & Records – Virginia

Genealogy Reference Library

Our Genealogy 
Reference Library

The following Link will take you to our library of genealogy reference books.   Here you may find books about the history and records of this county and other places such as towns and churches.  The collection also contains research works about military units and personnel during America’s wars, in addition too resource texts about the ethnic and religious groups who may have settled in this locality.

 

Research Library – Table of Contents

Gallery

Image Gallery

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

Barter Theatre--Downtown Abingdon, Virginia

 

 

If you have any photographs or other images relating to this 
 county, we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

 

Use the following LINK to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this location.

ANCESTRAL LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS and IMAGES

 

Free Image Search
help from Google

Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images Search page.   Enter  the

topic you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images” display page you will see the image, as well as the website to which it is linked.

 

Contact Information 

Contact information

Email

Snail mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA

Email

Pony Express:

Tom
6484 Riverstone Dr

Sooke, BC V9Z 0Y7

Canada